Nilsiä branch
|+'Nilsiän haara' |- | distance from Haluna (km) || Station || Municipality || Services, connections |- | 0 || Haluna || Haluna || H, P, IC, K (VR) K, N (NiL) Eastern Savonian Railway |- | 3.5 || Varpumäki || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 5.7 || Saviniemi || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 6.3 || Iidanaho || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 7.0 || Emännänlahti || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 8.6 || Mustikkamäki || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 9.1 || Sillankorva || Nilsiä || K, N (NiL) |- | 10.0 || Ahvenuksenlampi || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 10.5 || Vehkaoja || Nilsiä || K, N (NiL) |- | 11.2 || Jenula || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 11.7 || Nilsiä-Etelä || Nilsiä || K, N (NiL) |- | 12.4 || Nilsiä-Pohjoinen || Nilsiä || P, IC (VR) K, N (NiL) |- | 12.8 || Koivuniemi || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 13.2 || Liejuniemi || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 13.8 || Uitinkylä || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 14.4 || Uitinpuro || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 15.5 || Pirttimäki || Nilsiä || N (NiL) |- | 18.5 || Sieraniemi || Nilsiä || K, N (NiL) |- | 19.3 || Simunalahti || Nilsiä || K, N (NiL) |- | 21.0 || Kettukangas || Nilsiä || K (NiL) |- | 21.8 || Möykkylä || Nilsiä || K (NiL) |- | 22.4 || Tahkovuori || Nilsiä || P, IC (VR) K (NiL) |- | 22.8 || Turusenharju || Nilsiä || K (NiL) |- | 23.4 || Kiljusenkallio || Nilsiä || K (NiL) |- | 24.7 || Sääskiniemi || Nilsiä || K (NiL) |} The Nilsiä branch is a part of Finnish railway network. Owned by the state through its company Valtionrautatiet, the part from Haluna to Nilsiä was opened in 1909, at the same time as Eastern Savonian Railway. The section from Nilsiä to Tahkovuori was opened in 1969, and the underground section to Sääskiniemi was completed in 1997. Services The state-owned company, Valtionrautatiet (VR), operates 10 pairs of daily InterCity trains between Helsinki and Tahkovuori, as well as one pair of night express trains through the same route. Another company, Nilsiän Liikenne Oy (NiL), is shared between the municipalities of Nilsiä (80%) and Haluna (20%). It operates two local train lines: *K from Kinahmi to Sääskiniemi, meant to serve primarily tourists and therefore passing many suburbs; *N from Haluna to Simunalahti, meant to serve local population and therefore not continuing into Tahkovuori or Sääskiniemi, that are holiday resorts. These local trains are relatively light, as is one of the tracks. This, combined with the minimum distance of 400 m between stations, makes this system resemble light rail and even tram systems. Future The municipalities of Varpaisjärvi and Nilsiä have an agreement about a new railway, Varpaisjärvi branch, which would diverge after Simunalahti, pass Tahkovuori hill in a tunnel, follow the western slopes of the hill, and continue to Varpaisjärvi. Besides giving the municipality its first railway connection, this railway is expected to bring the western side of Tahkovuori as flourishing tourism industry as the eastern side currently has. The railway is due to be built by 2016. Nilsiän Liikenne Oy is currently building a single-track railway from Kinahmi to Uitinpuro, which will complete a circle around the Kinahmi hill. By the beginning of 2011, this railway will be ready, and Line K will use this circle as its route. A new line designated S will run between Haluna and Sääskiniemi. Category:New Coordinates